New Zealand space and advanced aviation sector economic report

The recently published New Zealand Space and Advanced Aviation Strategy sets out the government’s objective of doubling the size of New Zealand’s space and advanced aviation sectors by 2030.

In late 2024 MBIE, with support from the Ministry of Transport, engaged Deloitte Access Economics and Space Trailblazer. They were asked to put together a space and advanced aviation economic report that included:

• an updated economic analysis of the New Zealand space sector, and
• for the first time an estimate of the advanced aviation sector’s size.

Highlights from Deloitte’s 2025 economic report

What was clear from Deloitte’s report was the space sector is growing quickly, and New Zealand has a significant advanced aviation sector.

The study found growth of approximately 53% in the space sector since the previous study in 2019, significantly outperforming the wider New Zealand economy in the same period.

The space sector:

• makes an annual economic contribution of approximately $2.5Bn NZD annually, and
• supports around 17,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions in New Zealand.

The report also identified the advanced aviation sector, which overlaps with the space sector:

• makes an approximately $500M contribution to New Zealand’s economy annually
• supports around 3,700 FTE positions in New Zealand, and
• is poised to grow significantly with the increasing adoption of advanced aviation technologies across the economy.

The report also highlights the innovative and internationally connected nature of these sectors – with a higher share of export earnings and higher concentration of research and development relative to the overall economy.

Read Deloitte's Space and advanced aviation economic report 2025